‘Ruhlman’s Twenty’ Cookbook by Michael Ruhlman

A couple years after the release of his bestselling Ratio cookbook — which we’ve featured previously — Michael Ruhlman published Ruhlman’s Twenty, a book that distills his decades of experience into cooking’s 20 most essential concepts:

Whether cooking a multi-course meal, the juiciest roast chicken, or just some really good scrambled eggs; Ruhlman reveals how a cook’s success boils down to the same twenty concepts. With the illuminating expertise that has made him one of the most esteemed food journalists, Michael Ruhlman explains the hows and whys of each concept and reinforces those discoveries through 100 recipes for everything from soups to desserts.

The chapters (listed in order below) will give you an idea of the concepts covered:

Think

Salt

Water

Onion

Acid

Egg

Butter

Dough

Batter

Sugar

Sauce

Vinaigrette

Soup

Sauté

Roast

Braise

Poach

Grill

Fry

Chill

More than just being a list of recipes, Ruhlman’s Twenty is first and foremost a book about thinking about food. No matter your station or skill level, these are the twenty concepts that will propel you through your cooking hobby/career.